"Taylor Swift is so flawless, and so unattainable, and I don't think it's breeding anything good in young girls," Lorde said in the October 2013 issue of New Zealand's Metro magazine. "I'm never going to be like Taylor Swift, why can't I be as pretty as Lorde?' That's f–king bulls–t."

Not a diss at all, but nonetheless Lorde later clarified her position. "What I meant was: there's a lot of importance placed on physical perfection in this industry, and I wish my favourite stars didn't look perfect because I think fans (me included) have these feelings of worthlessness, like they'll never be as pretty/talented/whatever, as a result of this intense photoshop culture and the endless strive for perfection."